The present invention relates to a foldable chair, and more specifically to a foldable chair having an adjustable reclining back.
Foldable chairs are very popular in recent years. People who love outdoor activities such as camping and watching outdoor sport games usually carry foldable chairs with them. Foldable chairs of various designs have been manufactured for easy porting and carrying around outdoors.
FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a foldable chair. As shown in FIG. 7, a foldable chair generally has a leg assembly 101 that is foldable or collapsible and a seat cloth 102 formed by a piece of strong fabric such as canvas. The leg assembly has a plurality of leg members pivotally connected together by pivot pins as well as joined together by joint members. The seat cloth 102 is mounted on the leg assembly 101. The seat cloth and the leg assembly may be extended up to form a back support. Furthermore, the leg assembly 101 also extends up and two armrests 103 are formed thereon.
The foldable chair provides great convenience for outdoor activities. However, as can be seen in FIG. 7, the back support is constructed by extensions of the leg assembly 101 and the seat cloth 102. As a result, the back support often restrains the back of a person in a straight up position that causes fatigue and discomfort on the back. It is strongly desirable to provide a more comfortable back support so that one would not suffer from back fatigue after sitting on the foldable chair for a period of time.
The present invention has been made to overcome the above mentioned discomfort of sitting on a foldable chair. The primary object of the invention is to provide a reclining back for a foldable chair. The second object is to provide a reclining back for which the reclining angle is easily adjustable. It is also an object of the invention to provide a low cost reclining angle adjustment mechanism that can be integrated into the foldable chair.
According to this invention, the reclining back comprises two support members that are not direct extensions of the leg members. Each leg member is jointed to a support member by a joint assembly. The joint assembly also accommodates a reclining angle adjustment device for adjusting the reclining angle of the support member. Therefore, the angle of the reclining back can be adjusted according to one""s preference for comfort.
The reclining angle adjustment device comprises an adjustment block that can be engaged with a saw-tooth member affixed or formed integrally at the bottom end of the support member. A control device having an elastic member is provided to engage or disengage the adjustment block with the saw-tooth member. When the adjustment block is disengaged with the saw-tooth member, the reclining angle can be adjusted.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood from a careful reading of a detailed description provided herein below with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.